12 March 2013

Firefox gives up on Apple iOS

Apple prevents its users from choosing the default browser--Mozilla says no plans to return to iOS | SXSW - CNET News: " . . . The nonprofit Mozilla, which pulled Mozilla Firefox Home from Apple's App Store in September 2012, is not currently building a version of its Firefox browser for iOS, nor does the company plan to, said Sullivan, speaking on a mobile browser wars panel at South by Southwest Interactive moderated by CNET Senior Reporter Seth Rosenblatt. . . . Apple, meanwhile, commands more than 55 percent of the mobile browser market with Safari. Of course, Apple's environment isn't all that welcoming a place for third-party browsers. The company prevents its users from making any other application the default browser, which makes moving beyond Safari for all of one's browsing needs nearly impossible. . . . Sullivan and Opera Software's Mike Taylor, also on the panel, shared the same viewpoint. They all argued that giving consumers browser choice was essential to making browsers, and the Web in general, great. And, Sullivan argued, Apple's closed environment means users suffer. . . "Crime Software: Still Awaiting a Verdict | MIT Technology Review: "It’s not hard to imagine that software might do better than humans, especially over longer timescales. But let’s face it—police brass want their initiatives to succeed. And if you give an officer a map with red boxes on it—most of them naturally in sketchier areas—and order him to go there, it’s not unreasonable to think he’ll spend more time there than he otherwise might. (Police officers are people, too.) And officers report feeling a heightened state of awareness when in these zones. That psychological effect surely makes them do their jobs better, regardless of prediction accuracy. Finally, if you let software spit out the patrol orders—and abolish any planning meetings at the precinct house—cops will be on the road for that much more time. "Chinese Physicists Measure Speed of "Spooky Action At a Distance" | MIT Technology Review: " . . . One of the strangest concepts in quantum mechanics is the notion of entanglement. This is the idea that two quantum particles can be so deeply linked that they share the same existence. When that happens, a measurement on one immediately influences the other, regardless of the distance between them. This “spooky action at a distance”, as Einstein called it, has puzzled and fascinated physicists since it was first discussed in the 1930s. Einstein initially used it as evidence of the failure of quantum mechanics since this instantaneous action clearly seemed to violate relativity. Later, physicists realised there was no conflict because the “spooky action” cannot be used to send information faster than the speed of light. However, important questions remain about the nature of entanglement and spooky action. “If the spooky action does exist, what is its speed?” ask Juan Yin and pals at the University of Science and Technology of China in Shanghai. Today, they reveal the answer. They say spooky action travels at least four orders of magnitude faster than light. . . ."Google Glass: Expect widespread usage bans over privacy concerns
ZDNet
Summary: Google is about to unleash a rash of concerns generated by Google Glasses' ability to take clandestine photos and videos. James Kendrick. By James Kendrick for Mobile News | March 11, 2013 -- 13:21 GMT (06:21 PDT). Follow @jkendrick ...
ZDNet

China fishes over 2000 dead pigs from Shanghai river
BBC News
Workers in China are continuing to collect dead pigs from a river near Shanghai, with more than 2,000 carcasses reportedly recovered so far. Officials say they have to act quickly to remove the pigs, as the Huangpu River is a major source of drinking water for...

BBC News

Tweaked Apple TV features smaller custom A5 chip
Apple Insider
Speculation that Apple would add a more powerful A5X chip to its tweaked Apple TV proved false, as a look inside the new hardware has discovered it's simply a smaller version of the previous A5 chip. A5. The new, smaller A5 chip in the Apple TV.
Apple Insider

Amazon tries to shut .book in face of authors, publishers
Register
Amazon's recent moves to gain ownership of certain new generic top-level domain names have caused anger among writers and publishers. The company wants to take control of addresses including ".book," ".author" and ".read". The move has upset the ...

Israel fighting off locust invasion
USA TODAY
Huge swarms of locusts are invading Israel. The country is fighting the bugs off with pesticides. The locust invasion comes just two weeks before the Jewish holiday of Passover, which includes a recounting of an ancient 'plague of locusts.' (March 1 ...

Ancient revellers came to party... and build Stonehenge - boffins
Register
Stonehenge was actually an ancient rave spot for Brits from all over the country, new research has suggested. Stonehenge from the north east. There are more theories about the origins and reasons for Stonehenge than there are stones in the monument ...

First Evidence of Viking-Like 'Sunstone' Found
Discovery News
Researchers say this crystal found at the Alderney shipwreck near the Channel Islands could prove fabled Viking sunstones really did exist. Alderney Museum. Gallery. World'sRarestGemstones. Black Opal. All gemstones are rare; some ...

Early SimCity adopters to receive free game for their troubles
TechSpot
The SimCity fiasco is closing in on a full week now as the game has been plagued with server issues since the moment it became available. According to EA, they are doing everything possible to rectify the issue but if you're the game's publisher, you know by...
TechSpot

Why Samsung prez hates Windows 8: Poor PC profits?
Computerworld (blog)
A Samsung division president, Jun Dong-Soo, was widely quoted as saying Windows 8 was no better than Vista. But why? Could it simply be because PCs aren't selling well in the (ahem) post-PC world? In IT Blogwatch, bloggers point fingers. Your humble ...
Computerworld (blog)

Douglas Adams is still the king of comic science fiction
The Guardian (blog)
Today's Google Doodle celebrating the 61st birthday of Douglas Adams is testament to the undisputed king of comic science fiction: it makes you wonder why, 12 years after his death, no one has been able to supplant him from that throne. Let's face it, the ...
The Guardian (blog)

Samsung's Galaxy S4 might copy Sony with 'floating touch' display
Inquirer
That's not the only rumour that has emerged over the weekend. The Samsung Galaxy S4 is also rumoured to showcase a new kind of display, dubbed 'green PHOLED'. Apparently this along with Samsung's AMOLED screen technology will make the screen ...
Inquirer

Google to settle Wi-Fi data collection US case for $7M: Report
ZDNet (blog)
Summary: The search giant will reportedly settle its Street View Wi-Fi data collection case in the U.S. for a mere $7 million, which will take the firm just over two hours to recover from. Zack Whittaker. By Zack Whittaker for Between the Lines | March 11, 2013 ...

Global Warming Brings Trees to Arctic Tundra
Discovery News
Trees and shrubs are taking hold on what was once tundra, like this young pine and surrounding shrubs in Norway's Arctic Finnmark. Hans Tommervik of NINA, Norway. As the planet warms, the Arctic is feeling the heat. Trees and shrubs are taking hold on ...

Former Sony CEO Howard Stringer will retire this summer
Gamasutra
Former Sony president and CEO Howard Stringer will fully retire from the company this summer, to pursue other opportunities. Kazuo Hirai took over the role of president and CEO of Sony from Stringer just over a year ago, while Stringer was named Chairman ...
Gamasutra

Xi3 Starts to Take Pre-Orders on Piston “Steam Box” Systems.
X-bit Labs
Xi3 Corp. has begun accepting pre-orders on its Piston small form-factor personal computers. The systems are optimized for Valve Software's Steam video game distribution system and will be among the first so-called Steam Box console designed to bring PC ...
X-bit Labs

Release This: StarCraft II: HotS, God of War: Ascension ship worldwide
Gamasutra
Gamasutra's regular round-up of worldwide video game releases, "Release This!", takes a look at every game title we know to be shipping to stores this week, in a custom compiled list. This week brings God of War: Ascension, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, ...
Gamasutra

Robots get their own internet
TG Daily
Scientists have turned on a web-based database specifically for robots, designed to let them share information about their behavior and environment. Rapyuta has been developed by the European RoboEarth Project as a way of improving the learning ability ...

Killer whales spotted off the coast of Newport Beach
89.3 KPCC
Killer whales were spotted off the coast of Newport Beach on Saturday, the first sighting in Orange County this year. Captain Tom Southern said he had planned to show his tour group fin whales, only to provide them with an even bigger adventure. After he ...

Google PT Raised to $980.00 at Pacific Crest (GOOG)
Daily Political
Google logo Equities research analysts at Pacific Crest boosted their price target on shares of Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) to $980.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday. Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock.

March 2013 Patch Tuesday: 7 security fixes, 4 'critical'
CSO (blog)
Microsoft says you can expect seven security updates tomorrow -- four of which will address critical vulnerabilities in Windows, IE, Silverlight and Office. Here's a more in-depth preview from some of the industry's better-known patch management experts: ...

Decision Looms on Trade Status of 5 Shark Species
New York Times
HONG KONG — Delegates at a major international meeting on wildlife trade voted on Monday to add several shark species to a list of plants and animals whose international trade is regulated – a move that was welcomed by conservationists but that remains ...

Apple left App Store open to attack: Google researcher
ZDNet
Summary: Apple failed to use HTTPS on its App Store for at least six months, leaving it open to man-in-the-middle attacks that could trick users into installing paid apps or steal their passwords. Michael Lee....

Can Facebook Put Video Ads in News Feed Without Angering Users?
Mashable
Facebook video ads are coming to your News Feed — it's just a matter of when. AdAge reported in mid-December that Facebook was planning to introduce a new ad product "by April at the latest" that would let marketers target video ads in users' News Feeds ...

Speed cameras are a scam, Ohio judge rules
CNET
A judge in Ohio says what so many have been thinking, but never expected to hear from a judge. He described them as "nothing more than a high-tech game of 3-card Monty." Chris Matyszczyk. by Chris Matyszczyk. March 10, 2013 1:37 PM PDT. The wise ...

Iran cuts off 'illegal' VPN workaround to Internet filters
CNET
Government blocks use of popular tool used by many Iranians to circumvent Internet restrictions and mask their activities. Steven Musil. by Steven Musil. March 10, 2013 11:48 AM PDT Follow @stevenmusil. Iran has stepped up its efforts to deny its citizens ...

In Wake of Cyberattacks, China Seeks New Rules
New York Times
SHANGHAI — China has issued a new call for international “rules and cooperation” on Internet espionage issues, while insisting that accusations of Chinese government involvement in recent hacking attacks were part of an international smear campaign.

Judge to allow Samsung, Apple patent case to continue
Dallas Business Journal (blog)
A patent infringement lawsuit between Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Samsung Electronics will go forward after all. After indicating last week that the case would be put on hold pending an appeal in another case between the two in her court, U.S. District ...

SXSW: A 'Leap' in PC control, more weekend highlights
USA TODAY
This weekend, Austin, Texas, transformed into a hotbed of activity in the tech world. The South by Southwest festival is in full swing, merging the worlds of music, movies and technology (and if you're lucky, BBQ). Here's a look back at some of the highlights of ...

Google shows off a talking shoe
CNET
At SXSW, you're there to show your very best, most creative side. So Google does just that. Chris Matyszczyk. by Chris Matyszczyk. March 10, 2013 9:26 AM PDT. Perfect for a higher definition of footsee. (Credit: Engadget Screesnhot by Chris ...

Forget Typing, Google Says Search Is Going to Be Like 'Star Trek'
ABC News (blog)
AUSTIN, Texas — In the future, the experience of searching the web is going to be like something out of “Star Trek.” Or at least, that's what Google's vision is. “The destiny of search is to become that 'Star Trek' computer and that's what we are building,” ...